Community Voices

A college degree is viewed as one way to gain access to a decent standard of living. To pay for it, most students and families will turn to student loans and the financial aid office at the college they attend. A field that few aspire to but many find rewarding, the director of financial aid plays a crucial institutional role. But who are the people that do this work? Where do they come from?  WYSO Community Voices Producer Seth Gordon has one person’s story. 

Hidden in a quiet neighborhood in Springfield, Ohio, lies a folk-art gem called the Hartman Rock Garden, named after its creator and local resident, Ben Hartman.

Hartman was a rock hound and he would use the rocks that he collected from the area to make concrete and stone replicas of historic buildings. He made so many structures that eventually he transformed his entire backyard into a fantastic landscape of miniature buildings and figurines.

Community Voices Producer Renee Wilde brings us the story of how Ben Hartman turned his obsession into a National Folk-Art site.

Across the state Head Start programs are grappling with the federal budget cuts known as sequestration. Head Start is an early childhood education program that serves low-income and at-risk families. The across the board spending cuts that went into place last March are forcing these programs to cut their funding by over 5 percent. WYSO Community Voices Producer Kijin Higashibaba reports on how this cut will affect Head Start programs in the Miami Valley.

In the last few years, wildlife -- including large wildlife -- have boomed in parklands and green spaces in southwestern Ohio. Some of the critters we’re talking about may even surprise you. WYSO Community Voices Producer Ron Rollins visits the Five Rivers MetroParks to learn more. 

I love the outdoors. And I’ve seen how wildlife have gradually returned to the Miami Valley. Last winter, I saw something that stunned me: a bald eagle in downtown Dayton.

One week ago, Ohio Players frontman and virtuosos guitarist Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner passed away from cancer. He was 69. Bonner co-wrote and sang lead vocals on the Ohio Players biggest hits; Fire, Love Rollercoaster and Skin Tight. WYSO Community Voices producer Basim Blunt has put together this remembrance for this world famous Dayton musician.

For more information on tribute concerts and memorials being planned to honor the music and legacy of Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, visit the WYSO Boogie Nights page on facebook. 

Community Voices Producer Kristen Wicker takes us behind the scenes at The Signature – a poetic medley show, now in it’s fifth season.

The Signature brings in Tony- and Grammy-award winning artists to headline variety shows that feature an eclectic mix of spoken word poetry, live music, dance, comedy and visual arts.

“If you’ve been on a rollercoaster before, I think that’s how you would describe The Signature,” says Lee